A Manor of Speaking: To The Point!
Background ]]A Manor of Speaking: To The Point is a 4-episode miniseries based on the Sense, Sensibility and Swordsmanship extension of Good Society: A Jane Austen Roleplaying Game RPG by Storybrewers Roleplaying. Geek Space TV first showcased the game during its Kickstarter campaign. This extension adds an "On the rooftops" sequence to each turn, during which the characters don masks and change into their secret identities. As to the story, let's introduce it by borrowing this sentence from character Harriet MacNamara: It's England, who doesn't like birds?''See . Cast Facilitator (GM) * [[Lauren Bond (RandomTuesday)|'Lauren']] Players * 'Anna: '''Countess Eleanor "DamselAnna renounced her masked personality during . The countess had no use for it." Sharpe * Lizzie: Thomasin "Nighthawk" Crawford * Scotland: Harriet "the Nightbird" / "Starling" MacNamara * [[Aljernon Bolden|'A.J.']]: Leopold "The Falconer" Hawthorne * Lauren: Catherine "the Dove" Lansdown ]] Main characters Countess Eleanor Sharpe After their parents died, she clashed with her older sister Thomasin, who was trying to marry her. She ran away with her uncle Robertson Sharpe and became a privateer, only to return to her home city with a new name, a new title and intact rancor towards her sister. She is now 22-ish. She doesn't pay attention to whose lovers she may be stealing, because I'm a countess; that allows for certain flexible boundaries. And if they come for her after she makes enough waves, that day will be possibly more exciting than the ones that preceded it. She ends up reconciling with her sister Thomasin, dispatching the dishonorable Thomas Wallingford in front of the MonarchWhom she had met at least twice in the past: when she was first knighted, and when she got her peerage., and returning to life as a privateer for a new contractSee .. Thomasin "Nighthawk" Crawford This young lady is a friend of Catherine Lansdown's. During the day, she inquires about crime and criminals under the guise of innocuous socializing. At night, as Nighthawk, she actually fights crime in Bath. Long lonely, she reconciles with her sister Eleanor and becomes gradually closer to her friend Catherine Lansdown, to the point that she accepts the idea of following her to America and lets her smooch her. The two end up taking lessons in crime from Harriet a.k.a. the Starling and redistributing riches in Nottingham ForestSee .. Harriet "the Nightbird" / "Starling" MacNamara This young woman was born poor and has only recently become acquainted with the high society of Bath. She knew Eleanor in the past but didn't know she was Thomasin's sister until Thomasin told her at a Bath bath date. As the Nightbird, she steals shiny things and leaves miniature starlings. She has a diary that's also a "shopping list": the Book of Crimey Crimes. When she came to Bath, Harriet left behind her fiancé, Alexandre Met'ncombs. Harriet and her sister successfully steal the Diamond Green before the Ball during which it is to be presented to the Monarch. At the Ball, the sisterly duo steal a lot of jewelry, replacing their loot with fakes. Then, the two leave for London, after failing to convince the Dove to tag along immediately. They make a lot of money fencing all they stole at the Ball. Leopold "The Falconer" Hawthorne This 37-year-old widowerOr dowager, to use Lauren's word. served Britain in the War. Ten years ago, he inexplicably set out to America, leaving his wife Mary behind. He returned only recently, after he found out his wife had passed away a year ago, and there is reason to believe he never stopped serving the Crown as The Falconer. While in America he met a chef, a certain Issac CroftThe name actually showed up in chat.. He loves merriment—parties—and therefore is a close friend of Eleanore's. Rumor has it that he patrons a lot of women, not just the young Catherine Lansdown. He wants to leave the service, set aside this charade of being the Falconer and just be Leopold again''See ., has wanted to do it for years, but cannot do it until while '''Thomas Wallingford', whom he doesn't trust, is the Falconeer. The nature of his relationship with Countess Eleanor Sharpe he only reveals to Thomasin after he is suspended and she rejects his offer to succeed him as Falconer: he admires Eleanor as a good fighter, but her actions cost a company of his men their lives, and him several years in prison.See . He ends up in possession of the real Dresden Green. He refuses to retire and lets Eleanor have the complete correspondence of his Ringmaster wife.See . Lauren: Catherine "the Dove" Lansdown. This twenty-year-old lady was raised by her uncle, Viscount Charles Lansdown. Catherine believes that he resents having had to pay for her care since her patron, Leopold, went to America. He probably wants to have her marry an eligible suitor soon. As the Dove, clad entirely in white, with feathers, she seeks to penetrate and counter the nefarious designs she suspects he pursues. The Countess agrees that the Viscount is rather less than pleasant. Leopold thinks that the Dove seems for the greater good and the lower class''See .. The Dove ends up foiling his nefarious blackmailing of the Earl of Somerset. His dreams of marrying the Earl's daughter shatter in front of the Monarch. With her girlfriend Thomasin she starts walking in the footsteps of Robin Hood, after an apprenticeship with the Starling and her sister in LondonSee .. ''Style note: the recaps use both the civilian and the masked identity of each character in the rooftop scenes, to avoid repeating the longer bird name or to show that a character may be revealing a little too much about themselves. More characters Connexions * Lauren: Julianne Clarke. The sister-in-law of Leopold, she lives on his estate. She is in her early thirties and has little love for her brother in law and for his acquaintances such as Sir Thomas Wallingford. Exhibit A: when Leopold feels compelled to remind her that I'm not dead yet, sister, she immediately retorts: Unfortunately''See .. Lauren also played '''Judith Barton', Thomasin's frenemy, in a scene at Leopold's partySee .. * Lizzie: Sir Thomas "The Ringmaster" / "The Falconeer" Wallingford. This man, adept at catching the light of the full moon to strike the perfect pose, is The Falconer's boss. He recalled Leopold from America for reasons that needn't be recalled. He doesn't miss an opportunity to taunt the one he derisively calls Falcon and Old Boy. As if this weren't enough, Sir Thomas invites himself to Leopold's house and his upcoming party the first time they meet after his arrival in Bath. Leopold trusts this opinion to his log: The Ringmaster has arrived, with all his bombastic flair; and while I know his intentions are pure ... I cannot help but to be exasperated''See .. He fights Eleanor twice in duels: the first time, only his pride is badly wounded; the second time, she wants him dead. He falls on his knees after she slashes his two legs; thence, he literally falls on his swordSee .. * Anna: '''Constable Dunwich.' This grumpy constable in Bath has a hard time dealing with the masked personalities, vigilantes and thieves alike, on his turf. * A. J.: Alexandre Met'ncombsNftE: I had to check the spelling with Scotland.. This Oxford professor is something to look at and writes scandalous novels such as The Rising Son of Rome or The Six Spears of Spartha under the pen name W.E. Partridge. During the party on Leopold Hawthorne's estate where he is invited as Alexandre Met'ncombs, after his fiancée Harriet urges him to own up to his novels—which she loves—, he grudgingly accepts to lift his mask (or, rather, his glasses) and take questions from his readers, who have all recognized him already, as W. E. Partridge. He ends up reconciling his true name with his pen name as Alexander PartridgeSee .. * ScotlandAnd Lauren, in .: Elsa MacNamara. She is Harriet's sister and leaves London when her sister summons her to help with her planned Dresden Green heist. Elsa has not been involved in Harriet's misconduct in the past. Scotland also controls Admiral Norbert Holden, a friend of Countess Eleanor's uncle Robertson. Supporting characters * Charlemagne: though long dead, the Frenchor, to be frank, Frank. Emperor with the Flowing Beard has made regular incursions in conversations, both in and out of character, since the Falconer first mentioned that the Falcons date from his reign. This historical connection caused the Starling to nickname the Falconer Charlemagne, among other punsSee .. * The Earl of Somerset: more talked about than seen, he has acquired the Dresden Green to offer it as a gift to the Monarch. * Louise: the 19-year-old daughter of the Earl of Somerset. * Mary Hawthorne: Leopold's wife. She died a year ago. She was the one who, as Ringmaster of the Agency, sent him to America as a foreign agent fifteen years ago and stayed behind. * Jeeves: Eleanor's butler. Whenever anything goes wrong, Jeeves is fired, but not for real. * William''NftE'': No bragging here, none at all. Nope.: Eleanor's personal attendant, he is a good one''See Eleanor's monologue at the end of .. ''Now William, William is a proper lieutenant! He knows what’s up! ��Source: Anna. Pulled from Discord. List of A Manner of Speaking: To The Point episodes Glossary Bath: This town is so full of old thinking and petty squabbling''Source: Leopold, in .. '''Book of Crimey Crimes (the Lil)': Harriet MacNamara's beloved, trusted diarySee and later.. Bradshaw & Bradley:' '''the auction house that managed the sale of the Dresden Green to the Earl of Somerset. After it became clear that the auction house was targeted by thieves, it was secretly decided to ship the diamond directly to its new onerSee and later.. '''Cardinal Peregrine': the author of the following message, posted on the Crimey Crime Message Board: Recant of your Thieving Ways, Before the Fiery Wrath Comes For you! Come to the Welcoming Embrace of Saint Nicholas, Patron Saint of Repentant Thieves, and receive the Blessed Forgiveness and Walk in the Truth and Light.''Introduced by @pumpikin1. Quote from a donation message by @pumpikin1. '''Dashing Duel (the)': In this book, Alexander Partridge''NftE'': The mixing of real and pen name is no error. As confirmed by A.J.: It was on purpose for him accepting his new place in life. narrates the coming of age story of a young man—himself—who finds himself after witnessing the greatest sword fight in history. The author follows the victor, Countess Eleanor Sharpe, in her next adventure, by becoming a writer on her boat. Dresden Green (the): a diamond Eleanor Sharpe has been tasked with shipping to its new owner, the Earl of SomersetSee and later.. Eyrie (the): the supreme store featuring all your preening needs for your bright plumage, imported from such places as Turkey and English Guinea.Introduced by @pumpikin1. Text taken from a donation message by @pumpikin1. Falcons: this secret organization at the service of the British Crown is an age-old tradition. Since Charlemagne, every generation ...Lizzie didn't let A.J. finish the sentence. She completed it herself: ... there is a Slayer. See . Falcons and Falchions: a store dedicated to providing Equipment for all manner of Outdoor Activities, be they Falconry or Swordplay.Introduced by @pumpikin1. Text taken from a donation message by @pumpikin1. Gigolo: one who cares for many people''Source: Harriet, to Catherine, in . And then it dawns on Catherine, who saw the word in a book, what it is all about: ''Oh, that sort of caring.. Monarch (the): the Prince Regent.See . New Steam Engine Treatise (the): a steamy treatise, thrusting westward through many a pristine unexplored valley cleft ... this treatise shall examine in vivid details the vigorous world of railroads. Privateers: legitimate sea-business people.Definition by Harriet. See . Regency (the): the period of British history during which the show is set. Comments about the precise dating of the show by Anna, pulled from Discord''NftE'': By someone you could even say has a veritable encyclopedic knowledge of the local goings-on. ��: We all have varying degrees of history knowledge regarding the Regency period, so we try to leave current events ambiguous. '''I always imagine the 1810s, personally'. Too much later than that and we drift away from the age of sail and into the age of steam. I imagine though, that each of us have a different timeframe we’re envisioning. '' ... '' ''From what I know, '''the Regency period refers specifically to the nine years when George IV was prince regent' (1811-1820, I think), and is part of the Georgian period, which ended in the 1840s. Stylistically, there’s plenty of overlap and all the A Manor of Speaking shows could happen almost anytime in the first half of the 19th century. If you get too far before that, though, things are messy with the French Revolution and Napoleon and all that. That’s actually the time frame I know a bit more about as I was recently reading The Black Count, a biography of Alex Dumas, the father of the author Alexandre Dumas and a very accomplished general. And the regency period wasn’t exactly free of conflict either, with the war of 1812 and what not. That’s where I figured the Countess and her uncle made their fortunes and why, at least in my head, we’re mid 1810s.'' Leopold's formula, five years from Ascension of His Majesty to the Throne, seems to set the date at, or very close to, 1816. Rising Son of Rome (the): a scandalous novel penned by Harriet MacNamara's boyfriend, Alexandre Met'ncombs, under the pen name W. E. Partridge.See . Six Spears of Spartha (the): a novel penned by W. E. Partridge. Contrary to what one may think, the author is not interested in warfare.See . NftE: This title may have given rise to some pointed phrasing. Shiny Trinket (the): a store, where prices are cheap enough to not bat an eye, from which Harriet stole a present for Thomasin, a weird bird. ''If you need Materials for Outfits, Decoration, or for a Masquerade, Come Feather your Nest at The Shiny Trinket!''Introduced by @pumpikin1. Text taken from a donation message by @pumpikin1. Notes Category:A Manor of Speaking